Whistleblowing
Sunday 14th March 2021 - Monday 15th March 2021
Lisbon, Portugal
Whistleblowers can play a vital role in exposing
illegal, unjust or unethical behaviour on the part of businesses, governments
and individuals in positions of power. However, whistleblowing is seldom a
black and white matter. Exposing secrets can be instrumental in achieving
positive change; but at the same time, such disclosures may run the risk of
endangering innocent lives. Affording whistleblowers protection whilst also
providing natural justice to those accused of wrongdoing can be a difficult
balance to maintain. While whistleblowing empowers those who are generally
without power, it could also contribute to the creation of a culture of
surveillance and reporting that undermines positive engagement between
colleagues, employees and citizens.
As a complex, fundamentally polarizing concept,
whistleblowing can take many forms, from hourly workers informing bosses about
unsafe working conditions, to high-end employees at international corporations
informing the public about health risks, to anonymous informants disclosing
illegal practices at the highest levels of governments around the world.
In one of the earliest examples of whistleblowing, two
American naval officers in 1777-78 accused the Commander in Chief of the
Continental Navy of torturing British prisoners of war. The Continental
Congress dismissed the Commander in Chief and covered the naval officers'
defense costs in a subsequent libel suit. The Continental Congress also enacted
a law declaring it the duty of persons living or serving in the United States
to inform Congress or another proper authority of misconduct, frauds, or
misdemeanours committed by a person in the service of the states.
Fast forward to today, and Wikileaks is the largest
whistleblowing operation in the modern era, made possible because of
technological advances in knowledge-sharing. The disclosures on WikiLeaks have
been enormous in terms of their reach and volume, and have prompted a worldwide
cultural conversation about the relationship between national security and
individual privacy. The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, is currently
imprisoned, and the focus of differing views on the legality of extraditing him
to the USA. WikiLeaks provided a platform for very many whistleblowers, such as
Chelsea Manning who disclosed classified military documents and served seven
years, commuted from 35 years, for espionage. Edward Snowden lives in exile, in
Moscow, with the right to asylum, after also leaking classified documents to
journalists about government security operations whilst working for the CIA.
Such figures have become household names, partly because of the rise of
internet platforms which make it impossible to keep the cases under wraps, and
partly because they tap into our deepest desires, to be kept safe from threats
and harm, and our deepest fears about the power of states and their capacity
for operating global surveillance for their own ends.
All of this raises the question of how we got to the
point where individuals who expose wrongdoing are themselves the recipients of
punishment, and this has of late become even more pressing as events around the
world expose the underside of global machinations. Revelations by
whistleblowers lay bare the details of US President Donald Trump's dealings
with Ukraine, foreign interference in the United Kingdom's referendum on
leaving the European Union, corrupt dealings by Crown Casino in Melbourne,
Australia and countless other cases.
It is an appropriate time to reconsider the meaning
and implications of whistleblowing. What conditions give rise to and sustain
whistleblowing? What purposes does whistleblowing serve in a democratic
society? What lessons are to be gained from case studies in terms of the
possibilities of achieving change by working within a system, working outside a
system, working alone or as part of a collective that may or may not be organised?
How can societies harness the benefits of whistleblowing as a form of extreme
civic engagement while preserving the values of justice and fairness, and
protecting the rights of relevant parties? What are the rules of engagement for
blowing the whistle on and dealing with whistleblowers?
From the conversations and dialogues which take place,
our intention is to form a selective innovative interdisciplinary publication
to engender further research and collaboration.
Key Topics
In recognition of the complex, inter-disciplinary
nature of this topic, our unique, interdisciplinary conference provides a
platform for participants from any relevant field, profession or practice to
engage in dialogues on any aspect of whistleblowing including:
- case studies and their implications
- conditions that give rise to whistleblowing
- legal and legislative frameworks that support, protect, or enable whistleblowing
- motives of whistleblowers
- social attitudes toward whistleblowing and the people who do it
- false/fraudulent/misleading claims
- best practice for dealing with whistleblowers and preserving natural justice for involved parties
- implications for job training and human resources policies
- legacy and impact of whistleblowing on institutions, workforce, etc.
- moral duty to blow the whistle on wrongdoing/complicity of failing to blow the whistle
- mechanisms for providing support for whistleblowers
- espionage and whistleblowing
- role of technology in facilitating whistleblowing
- representation of whistleblowers and whistleblowing in film, television, theatre, literature, news media
- connections with activism, protest and movements
What To Send
The aim of this inclusive interdisciplinary conference
and collaborative networking event is to bring people together and encourage
creative conversations in the context of a variety of formats: papers,
seminars, workshops, storytelling, performances, poster presentations,
problem-solving sessions, case studies, panels, q and a's, round-tables etc.
Creative responses to the subject, such as poetry/prose, short film
screenings/original drama, installations and alternative presentation styles
that engage the audience and foster debate are particularly encouraged. Please
feel free to put forward proposals that you think will get the message across,
in whatever form.
At the end of the conference we will be exploring ways
in which we can develop the discussions and dialogues in new and sustainable
inclusive interdisciplinary directions, including research, workshops,
publications, public interest days, associations, developing courses etc which
will help us make sense of the topics discussed during the meeting. There is an
intention, subject to the discussions which emerge during the course of the
meeting, to form a selective innovative interdisciplinary publication to
engender further research and collaboration.
300 word proposals, presentations, abstracts and other
forms of contribution and participation should be submitted by Friday 4th
September 2020. Other forms of participation should be discussed in advance
with the Organising Chairs.
All submissions will be at least double reviewed,
under anonymous (blind) conditions, by a global panel drawn from members of the
Project Team, The Development Team and the Advisory Board. In practice our
procedures usually entail that by the time a proposal is accepted, it will have
been triple and quadruple reviewed.
You will be notified of the panel's decision by Friday
18th September 2020.
If your submission is accepted for the conference, a
full draft of your contribution should be submitted by Friday 15th January
2021.
Abstracts and proposals may be in Word, RTF or Notepad
formats with the following information and in this order: a) author(s), b)
affiliation as you would like it to appear in the programme, c) email address,
d) title of proposal, e) type of proposal e.g. paper presentation, workshop,
panel, film, performance, etc, f) body of proposal, g) up to 10 keywords.
E-mails should be entitled: Whistlebowing Submission
Where To Send
Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to the
Organising Chair and the Project Administrator:
- Diana Medlicott: diana@progressiveconnexions.net
- Len Capuli (Project Administrator): bratislavawhistleblowing@progressiveconnexions.net
What's so Special About a Progressive Connexions
Event?
A fresh, friendly, dynamic format. At Progressive
Connexions we are dedicated to breaking away from the stuffy, old-fashioned
conference formats, where endless presentations are read aloud off PowerPoints.
We work to bring you an interactive format, where exchange of experience and
information is alternated with captivating workshops, engaging debates and
round tables, time set aside for getting to know each other and for discussing
common future projects and initiatives, all in a warm, relaxed, egalitarian
atmosphere.
A chance to network with international professionals:
The beauty of our interdisciplinary events is that they bring together
professionals from all over the world and from various fields of activity, all
joined together by a shared passion. Not only will the exchange of experience,
knowledge and stories be extremely valuable in itself, but we seek to create
lasting, ever-growing communities around our projects, which will become a
valuable resource for those belonging to them.
A chance to be part of constructing change. There is
only one thing we love as much as promoting knowledge: promoting real, lasting
social change by encouraging our participants to take collective action, under
whichever form is most suited to their needs and expertise (policy proposals,
measuring instruments, research projects, educational materials, etc.) We will
support all such actions in the aftermath of the event as well, providing a
platform for further discussions, advice from the experts on our Project
Advisory Team and various other tools and intellectual resources, as needed.
An opportunity to discuss things that matter to you.
Our events are not only about discussing how things work in the respective
field, but also about how people work in that field â?? what are the struggles,
problems and solutions professionals have found in their line of work, what are
the areas where better communication among specialists is needed and how the
interdisciplinary approach can help bridge those gaps and help provide answers
to questions from specific areas of activity.
An unforgettable experience. When participating in a
Progressive Connexions event, there is a good chance you will make some
long-time friends. Our group sizes are intimate, our venues are comfortable and
relaxing and our event locations are suited to the history and culture of the
event.
Ethos
Progressive Connexions believes it is a mark of
personal courtesy and professional respect to your colleagues that all
delegates should attend for the full duration of the meeting. If you are unable
to make this commitment, please do not submit an abstract or proposal for
presentation.
Please note: Progressive Connexions is a
not-for-profit network and we are not in a position to be able to assist with
conference travel or subsistence, nor can we offer discounts off published
rates and fees.
Please direct all enquiries to:
bratislavawhistleblowing@progressiveconnexions.net
For further details and information please visit the
conference web page.
Sponsored by: Progressive Connexions
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